Calamity

"What, you recognize me?"

Jade Toad Granny smiled, still maintaining that innocent and carefree demeanor, seemingly completely unconcerned about the pair of Sword Light soaring overhead.

She probably isn't afraid at all. This old bastard has plenty of escape routes. He just used the Wind and Cloud Dragon Ascent Technique to sneak in silently, coming and going like the wind. Clearly, his strength has fully recovered. If she really tries to escape, even these two flying swords might not be able to catch her. But Li Fan still has the Tai Sha Sword Rainbow, he can fight!

Li Fan gripped the demon's head, his murderous aura surging, instantly seizing the Devil Embryo's flesh and blood, leaving only a skull in his palm. He turned coldly to look at Jade Toad Granny, using his primordial spirit to lock onto her.

"Bah! Which disciple of Moshan doesn't recognize you, you old toad? You man-eating demon, prepare to die!"

The purple light fell, slicing through the tree like Jade Toad Granny, but without even touching her hair, it allowed her to escape and sit on another tree trunk.

Although it was just a test, this guy actually dodged the flying sword so easily! Tsk, this guy won't be easy to beat...

Jade Toad Granny didn't retaliate. Instead, she clapped her hands and said, "I remember now! You're the Mo Shan disciple who stabbed me last time! Long time no see, you've aged so much! Oh, I see, in order to succeed the Grand Master, you practiced a lot of Mo Shan's evil arts and went mad, right? Hey, I knew you looked familiar, wasn't that Golden Dragon White Star! Tsk, what a terrible change."

Li Fan's face was gloomy.

"Hmph, Jade Toad Granny! Last time, the Abbot was magnanimous and spared your life in the South Sea. Instead of finding a place to wait for your death, you actually came back to wreak havoc in the Li Country! And you're even hanging out with this damned Nangong Xian thief. Do you really think Mo Shan can't kill you?!"

Upon hearing this, Jade Toad Granny chuckled and burst into laughter.

"Hey, little mountain lord, I'm not with them! I just came to steal a Devil Embryo to eat and nourish myself. Aren't you eating one too?"

However, judging from how much you cared about the Devil Embryo's number just now, you know quite a bit about what's happening in the mountains... Ah, your cultivation has increased so quickly! Could it be that you are a demon child created by the abbot using their evil magic?"

The Sword Light crashed down, flashing and slicing through dozens of cedar trees, clearing the forest of trees, yet it still didn't touch Jade Toad Granny's clothes, allowing her to easily escape.

Hey... this guy's lightning speed is way too high, is he really a toad...?

"Hehehe! Hey kid, how about we make a deal? Give me what you have in your hand, and I'll tell you a secret manual for a demon prince that can quickly increase his cultivation level in exchange. How about it?"

Li Fan chuckled, tossed the skull in his hand to Jade Toad Granny to catch, and said, "Alright, you can have it."

"Hehe, that's great!"

Li Fan deliberately flung the skull into the circle of flying swords, but Jade Toad Granny didn't care about his trick. She slipped away and rushed into the Sword Light. Surrounded by the Sword Light, she opened her huge mouth with a "whoosh" and swallowed the demon's head in one gulp. At the same time, she instantly disappeared, playfully escaping the encirclement of the Golden Dragon White Star. She squatted on the cliff under the moonlight, then tilted her head back and chewed twice, making juice spill out, before swallowing the Devil Embryo.

Then, licking the ink and blood that had spilled from the corner of her mouth, she smiled at Li Fan, who had sheathed his swords and looked wary.

"The primordial spirits of these demons were deduced using the secret method of the reincarnation of the Saintess of the Divine Cult. However, instead of splitting a single primordial spirit into many people, it was the other way around, merging many divine souls into one."

If you can find enough Three Lives Stones and retrieve everyone's memories, you can gain everyone's power and awaken their past lives. The last one remaining will inherit everyone's destiny and primordial spirit.

Many disciples of Ink Bamboo Mountain have been reincarnated. The abbot probably used quite a few people to create you. Why not give it a try? You might even attain enlightenment!

So that's how it is... As expected, Li Yi's divine body was crammed with all sorts of random things trying to steal things...

Li Fan sneered, "Hmph, is that all? This is nothing! My talent is unparalleled! As long as I have time to cultivate, even without inheriting their primordial spirit, I can still comprehend the Dao!"

Jade Toad Granny was also taken aback, and couldn't help but roll her eyes. She reached into her pouch and pulled out a stone.

"... So you really don't want it? Here, take the Three Lives Stone and give it a try!"

It really is the Stone of Three Lives...

However, Li Fan knew that touching the stone to recall his past life would cause a momentary lapse in concentration, and he might be tricked. Therefore, he didn't risk catching it, letting it fall in front of him while keeping his eyes fixed on the stone.

"What do you mean? You want to help me attain enlightenment? If I ever achieve enlightenment, the first thing I'll do is kill you, you man-eating demon!"

Having feigned weakness with his flying sword while deliberately suppressing his Divine Sense and sword speed, and maneuvering the opponent's escape techniques back and forth several times, Li Fan estimated that the time was almost right and prepared to unleash his sword rainbow and catch it off guard.

But unexpectedly, seeing that Li Fan wouldn't take the bait, Jade Toad Granny looked listless. With a wave of her hand, she summoned back the Three Lives Stone, squatted on the rock, and, resting her chin on her hand, chanted...

"Hey, young master, why are you so angry? Isn't cultivating immortality all about killing and eating? Is it really that fun for you Ink Bamboo Mountain to keep bullying a weak woman like me? Look at them over there, the Demon Prince is already at the age of twenty-nine, and who among them hasn't eaten more people than me? Between two evils, choose the lesser, don't you understand?"

Huh? Why aren't they running away yet?

This tone—neither fighting nor fleeing, but rather seemingly intending to sit down and chat—didn't seem like they were preparing some kind of powerful ritual or technique, which aroused Li Fan's suspicion.

There's no reason for this. This monster is so cautious; even if it really came to hunt, it would be strange if it didn't flee after discovering its prey had been stolen. Why would it linger after already getting its prey? What's the logic behind that?

"You're spouting nonsense, neither fighting nor running away. What exactly are you trying to say?!"

Jade Toad Granny Chan tilted her head and chuckled, "Hehe, I see that you, this new leader, are neither too skilled nor too weak, just right for me. How about we cooperate? You're here to exorcise evil spirits too, aren't you? I happen to know a place where there are lots of numbered Devil Embryo we can eat! Want to go together?"

Li Fan was stunned.

"The place you're talking about, could it be in the south...?"

Jade Toad Granny extended her index finger and made a shushing gesture.

"Didn't the Abbot teach you not to speak carelessly before a magical duel? Just tell me, are you going or not?"

Hey, what's with this toad? He's asking me to team up again? This is the second time!

However, last time he was practically killed after becoming an apostle of a celestial being. This time, he claims to be going to eat numbered Devil Embryo. Could this be the headquarters of the immortal thief Nangong? Or could it be a trap?

However, even the enlightened sword immortal couldn't do anything to Li Fan last time, and now he hasn't even warmed up yet, so he feels like he can go all out.

"When faced with two evils, choose the lesser one... Alright! I'll go with you!"

"Hehe, keep up, don't fall behind!"

Jade Toad Granny chuckled, then suddenly leaned back and tumbled into the ground to escape!

Although it might be an ambush, Li Fan couldn't miss the opportunity to kill the demon prince, or even the toad demon. He immediately sheathed his two swords, made a hand seal to escape into the earth, and gave chase.

The two traveled swiftly, sometimes diving, sometimes turning corners. Li Fan followed the divine signals of Jade Toad Granny, traversing the underground spiritual vein mines. He didn't know how many hundreds of miles he had traveled before finally emerging.

This is a grand underground palace, seemingly the civilization of an ancient Demon Race. The architectural style is clearly not that of the Immortal Palace or mystical gate, and the size of the rooms is not suitable for human beings. Judging from the totem reliefs around it, the original inhabitants here seem to be some kind of bird-bodied, human-headed race with a wingspan of four to five zhang.

The entire underground palace was also built on a solitary cliff on a high mountain, Fourth Department by a vast, empty abyss. However, the sky, the sun, and the moon could not be seen. It seemed that further away, further out, there were even higher and larger mountains that sealed and suppressed these towering rock pillars within.

"Kunlun?"

Jade Toad Granny turned her head and made a 'shh' gesture again. Then she pointed to the palace at the top of the highest cliff, leaped off the ground, and disappeared in an instant as a gentle breeze blew around her. Even her Divine Sense signal became much weaker. If it weren't for the fact that Gu Guan Method had just been upgraded, Li Fan wouldn't have been able to keep up with her.

Li Fan leaped into the air, concealing his Sword Light, and used a stealth technique to escape into the void, passing through rows of rock pillars as if ascending to the heavens, finally arriving at the uppermost golden palace.

At first, Li Fan was a little worried that the old toad would lure him into an ambush and trap him to death, but after flying up and taking just one glance, Li Fan knew exactly what Jade Toad Granny was up to.

Within the ruins of this bird-man civilization, there was still a golden egg, almost the size of an adult standing upright, protected within a bird's nest-like magic array. It clearly appeared to be a fragment of destiny remaining after a catastrophe similar to the destruction of a civilization and the extermination of a race, deeply rooted in karma.

At this moment, six dark-skinned humanoid "demons," who looked similar to the "Twenty-Nine" in front, neither human nor inhuman, were sitting around the golden egg without clothes. They were chanting and exerting their powers, emitting purple-black light waves, flames, and icy currents from their mouths, noses, hands, and eyes, attacking the barrier protecting the golden egg. It seemed that they were about to use their demonic energy to break through the protective barrier.

Seeing the thousands upon thousands of eyes of these six demon children fixed intently on the golden egg, their faces full of anticipation and drooling, Li Fan could almost hear them swallowing their saliva.

Then a cold wind blew from behind, and Li Fan understood what Jade Toad Granny meant.

Let him go first. It turns out that Nangong Xianzei found out it was Li Fan's doing again.

Isn't this just like last time? Old Toad probably didn't dare to offend that 'Seventh Friend Personally Disciple of the Northern Star Sword Ancestor,' so he urged him to go first and take on the karma. Once Li Fan and these demons were both badly injured, he could come over to help legitimately, and then he would eat all seven demons and a bird egg by himself.

That's quite a clever plan!

But Li Fan thought the same thing as her! Kill and rob, simple and straightforward! In short, only one can live today!

Good! Perfect for testing my skills! Come on! Kill them all!

So Li Fan quickly made a hand seal, not bothering with a sneak attack, and took out a talisman from his pocket and flicked it. The yellow paper covered the sky and the sun, like a handkerchief falling down and wrapping around the lonely peak, signaling the start of the killing spree!

"Nangong Demonic Path! Mountain Lord Qingyue is here! You old bastards harmed my fellow disciples! I'll wipe out your bastards too! Let's hurt each other, damn it!"

With a dignified declaration of death, Li Fan, wielding the Golden Dragon White Star, charged forward.

The old toad probably didn't expect Li Fan to be so cooperative, and was quite moved, so he didn't move an inch and didn't disturb Li Fan's chance to earn points.

Li Fan showed no mercy, covering his face with a celestial robe of malevolent energy. His twin swords, imbued with Sword Qi, charged straight into the group of demonic youths, fighting six against one. In an instant, they appeared as six black shadows, enveloped in dark, malevolent energy, chasing and killing each other across the underground palace altar. Demonic sounds and ghostly howls echoed through the underground caverns, rumbling like muffled thunder, causing the earth to tremble!

Unfortunately, to everyone's disappointment, Li Fan did not kill them all with a single sword strike, but instead fought the six demon princes to a standstill.

This was mainly to lull Jade Toad Granny into a false sense of security and create an opportunity for a surprise attack later. Therefore, Li Fan disguised his strength, only using the abilities of a first-level Nascent Soul Stage cultivator of the Xuanmen sect. He also only used the Tai Sha Heavenly Robe True Qi, the Profound Heaven Sword Method, and the Sword Embryo Qi Sword in his Daoist arts. He would even stop from time to time while he was hiding, pretending to be recovering his Qi, and also take the opportunity to see what kind of Tai Su Dao arts the demon prince on Nangong's side knew.

These demonic beings, including the one called 'Twenty-Nine' mentioned earlier, have surpassed ordinary cultivators in the Nascent Soul Realm in terms of the strength of their primordial spirit, the power of their Dao body, and their speed. They are probably not top figures like the sect leaders, altar masters, Dharma protectors, or Martial God of the Three Great Sects. Without full preparation, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with them would be life-threatening.

These six demonic offspring were indeed a tiny bit more powerful than the chubby one in front. The main difference between the 'numbered' and 'unnumbered' ones, besides how many people they had eaten, was that they 'couldn't speak'.

I'm not kidding.

The chubby one could only make silly noises and grab at things wildly with its hands and feet, but the other six could already shout out the names of their special moves.

"Dingjia Wuwang Divine Fist!"

"Great Lion Elephant Divine Strength!"

"Tiger-Fighting and Dragon-Capturing Skill!"

"Break through the fiery blast of Yangyan!"

"Frost Dragon's Fury!"

"Flying Flower Barrage!"

"Damn it! Xuan... Ink Bamboo Mountain Basic Sword Technique!"

The six demonic disciples made their move. Three used advanced Internal Martial Arts to charge forward, shielding and attacking, while the other three stood in the back, casting hand seals and unleashing a barrage of water, fire, and wood-based energies. Not only did they fight with impressive skill and coordination, but decapitating or beheading someone was a piece of cake. As long as their core wasn't destroyed, they could simply turn around, rest, and be back to full strength in eighteen seconds! This was truly getting Li Fan a little carried away!

This is outrageous! Although their speed and strength haven't changed much from Twenty-Nine, these demons are far more troublesome! The Cultivation Method they use are all superior internal martial arts secrets that combine Qi and energy, and their individual skills are also quite high! They're not just wildly swinging their fists!

The fiery ice currents they unleashed, along with the force of their fists and palm strikes, even carried a malevolent aura! If a Tai Chi cultivator were caught off guard, they could very well have their protective Qi broken through in a single move and be instantly killed!

But that's not all; they can also constantly change positions and tactics during battle!

Therefore, even if Li Fan can quickly decipher or even replicate the opponent's moves, these demonic children can still be replaced! Often, after a set of moves proves ineffective, or after their limbs are severed or they are seriously injured, they will immediately take turns providing support. Once the injured have recovered their bodies using their demonic energy, when they return to the battle, they will use a completely different style and approach!

So many techniques and Cultivation Method, and each one is a unique skill! Impossible! It's absolutely impossible that they were all deduced by the Nangong Seven Friends! Moreover, judging from the names, many of them seem more like secret techniques from the Three Great Sects of the North!

When Li Fan fought the White-Browed Eunuch, he saw that this demon was actually able to use the sword techniques of the Beichen Sword Sect. He had a guess in his mind, and now it seems that he was right.

The martial arts used by these numbered demons are very likely the various secret techniques that were deduced by Brother Yan and his group of Tai Su Dao disciples when they gathered in the Luo Sect, and recorded and circulated in the Luo Sect's Heavenly Book!

Furthermore, Jade Toad Granny said that each demon child is formed by fusing the primordial spirits and souls of many people. Could it be that among these demon children are the remnants of those people from back then?

Could it be that each of these demonic disciples has at least fused with a fragment of the remnant soul of one of the forty-seven members of the Luo Sect from back then?

Could that Dao Lord of the Beichen Sword Sect really be Brother Yan?

Li Fan wielded his twin swords wildly, fighting fiercely amidst the black, bloody winds, his heart sinking to the bottom.

Perhaps back then, those old Three Elders and Four Ancestors sects weren't actually wrong in their calculations.

Some people are destined to bring chaos to the world!